Sample File Sample 300 24209000 Prnceoundth 32.Indd 1 Credits INTRODUCTION

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Design Orcus intends to usurp the powers and privileges of the Bruce R. Cordell and Scott Fitzgerald Gray Raven Queen, the god of death, fate, and winter. If he Editing, Development, and Managing Editing accomplishes his aims, no soul shall rest easy again. To Bill Slavicsek avert this theft of divine portfolio and purpose, epic adventurers must dive down to the bottommost pit of existence, D&D Design Manager where the Heart of the Abyss festers. James Wyatt Prince of Undeath is a DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® adven- D&D Development Manager ture for characters of 27th to 30th level. You need the Andy Collins Player’s Handbook®, the Monster Manual®, and the Dungeon Master’s Guide® to play. D&D™ Dungeon Tiles and D&D® D&D Creative Manager Miniatures can enhance your play experience. Christopher Perkins

Art Director Background Mari Kolkowsky Orcus, Demon Prince of the Undead, wants to usurp con- D&D Senior Art Director trol over the spirits of the dead from the Raven Queen, the Jon Schindehette god of Death and Fate. The Prince of Undeath has slowly drawn his plans against her from the heart of his Abys- Graphic Designer sal realm, the citadel called Everlost. Everlost straddles Mari Kolkowsky a yawning chasm whose sheer slopes hold hundreds of Cover Illustration tombs and burial sites, creating a tiered necropolis. Wayne Reynolds Just as with his citadel, Orcus’s plans against the Raven Interior Illustrations Queen are tiered, one plot hiding beneath another. Each Adam Gillespie past undertaking has moved Orcus a step closer to achiev- William O’Connor ing his goal, even while concealing an even more devious Matias Tapia Ben Wootten plan beneath it. Orcus has salted the natural world and its echo planes with death cults to oppose the Raven Queen, Cartography has fostered powerful servitors to sap worship away from Jason A. Engle her, has diverted souls from her judgment to weaken her, Publishing Production Specialist has looted the banned armory of the Dawn War to fight Christopher Tardiff, Angie Lokotz her, and even launched a raid against Fate’s Temple of Prepress Manager SampleTemples file to directly threaten her. Jefferson Dunlap But all of these efforts pale before Orcus’s ultimate aspiration. In order to achieve it, the Prince of Undeath Imaging Technician Carmen Cheung acquired an ancient primordial, a creature called Timesus the Black Star. Few primordials were feared as much by Production Manager the original gods as Timesus. Cynda Callaway Through the efforts of various servitors, from the cult- DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, d20, d20 System, WIZARDS OF ist Kalarel, to the dragon Urishtar and Elder Arantham, THE COAST, Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, Monster to the Ghoul King Doresain, Orcus’s grand plans have Manual, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and progressed to their endpoint. Now the Demon Prince has their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the U.S.A. and other countries. All Wizards characters and gained Timesus the Black Star, a primordial whose power the distinctive likenesses thereof are property of Wizards of the was once so incontestable that an entire divine armada Coast LLC. This material is protected under the copyright laws of went down in defeat before it. the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited The primordial, trapped in stasis, was unearthed from without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast its prison and broken into chunks of blackstar rock. The LLC. This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual chunks were transported in crates from the Shadowfell people, organizations, places, or events included herein is purely coincidental. Printed in the U.S.A. ©2009 Wizards of the Coast to Sigil, and then to the White Kingdom, deep within LLC the Abyss. Orcus plans to reconstitute the pieces of the primordial, returning Timesus to its original state. The 300-24209000-002 EN 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Demon Prince has one improvement to make upon the First Printing: October 2009 primordial, however. Orcus wants to turn Timesus into an ISBN: 978-0-7869-5247-2 undead creature—so that it will better serve the Demon Visit our website at www.wiwww.wizards.com/dndz Prince of Undeath.

300_24209000_PrnceOUndth_32.indd 2 8/10/09 4:51 PM Adventure Synopsis Star. The primordial has already been restored and is traveling to the depths of the Abyssal Nadir where the Heart In Prince of Undeath, the epic heroes confront Orcus’s plans of the Abyss lies. head-on, following leads introduced in E2: Kingdom of the Abyssal Nadir: The adventurers plunge to the bottom Ghouls or using the adventure hooks described on page 4. of the universe in the stolen chaos ship. En route, they Chaos Ship: The adventurers step through a portal onto encounter monstrosities that hunt the Abyssal depths. a chaos ship designed to ride the roiling waves of the Ele- Upon finally reaching the bleeding edge of raw creation, mental Chaos. The ship, named Shevaithan, is controlled chaos ship they find the final —a gargantuan craft, rebuilt INTRODUCTION by servants loyal to Orcus. Several portals aboard the ship into something resembling a dwarven mining platform. allow instant teleportation to distant locations. Only two of Inside this temporary shelter, the Heart of the Abyss these portals are currently active: one from wherever the beats, stuck into reality’s side like a tick burrowing in adventurers were before boarding the vessel, and one that flesh. And here Timesus labors, breaking shards from the leads to Orcus’s citadel on Everlost (specifically, a portion Heart of the Abyss at Orcus’s command. The adventur- of the citadel called the Red Hold). The adventurers must ers might stop Timesus here, but a shard has already been gain control of the vessel, defeating the captain and crew. liberated and given to Orcus. The Demon Prince of the Afterward, it becomes a movable base capable of seeing Undead, armed with the shard, has marched on the Raven them through most of the rest of the adventure. Queen’s domain. The Red Hold: To commandeer Shevaithan, the Court of the Raven Queen: The adventurers can adventurers need to release it from its moorings—a mystic travel to Latherna to learn the Raven Queen’s fate. Bypass- binding that takes place as soon as they kill the ship’s ing Zvomarana, the adventurers fight through the demon captain. In addition, they learn that the best way to use hordes and undead army filling the outer chamber of the the ship to reach the depths of the Abyss where Orcus’s palace to reach Death’s sanctum. They find Orcus on the plans unfold is to make themselves appear to be more Raven Queen’s throne, with the Raven Queen on the floor demonic. The solution to both of these dilemmas can before him, pierced by the deadly shard. be found only in Orcus’s citadel of Everlost—and specifi- Here, the adventurers can either defeat Orcus and cally in the Prince of Undeath’s inner sanctum, the Red return the Raven Queen to her throne, or decide to grant Hold. The portal on the chaos ship sends the party to the Orcus the domain of Death. entrance of Orcus’s bastion. Though the demon lord is not in residence, the adventurers must fight their way through his servitors and the Red Hold’s deadly defenses. After USING THIS ADVENTURE successfully freeing the ship and masking their presence in demonic essences found in the citadel, the adventur- Prince of Undeath is designed to take a party of five player ers learn that two other chaos ships have already launched characters (PCs) from 27th to 30th level. You can use this and are traveling downward upon orders from Orcus.Sample The adventure file as the conclusion to the epic storyline that ships plan to rendezvous at a place called the Forge of Four began in E1: Death’s Reach or as a stand-alone adventure in Worlds. The adventurers must use their commandeered your campaign. Either way, it makes for a grand conclusion ship to follow. to 30 levels of adventuring. The Forge of Four Worlds: In the chaos ship Shevai- The two booklets included in this adventure are for the than, the adventurers descend to an ancient island-mote Dungeon Master (DM). If you’re planning to experience hanging deep within the Abyssal void. Known as the Prince of Undeath as a player, stop reading now. Forge of Four Worlds, it acts as a conduit for elemental The Prince of Undeath adventure contains these and arcane energy—energy that Orcus plans to use to components: restore Timesus and convert the primordial into one of the 1. Adventure Book One (this booklet) provides a back- undead. ground and synopsis of the adventure, hooks to interest As the party arrives, the Forge has been seized by the PCs, an overview of each of the main sections of Adven- Orcus’s demonic horde but is under attack by a force of ture Book Two, illustrations to show players, new monsters, raging devils. The adventurers bypass the brunt of this new artifacts, and new magic items. conflict by way of a portal dock, but as they explore the 2. Adventure Book Two contains the many possible Forge, they find themselves caught up in the three-way encounters that constitute the adventure. The encounters battle between demons, devils, and the forgeborn—immor- take place throughout five areas: The Chaos Ship, the Red tal guardians created to defend the site. Hold, the Forge of Four Worlds, the Abyssal Nadir, and the The adventurers have the opportunity to make a deal Court of the Raven Queen. with the devils as they fight the fiendish invaders, during 3. A poster map depicting important encounter areas, which they learn that the demons have transported Time- including the chaos ship. sus to an area called the Soulfire Furnace. However, after 4. A folder to hold both the booklets and the poster fighting their way through to the heart of the Forge, they map. face not Timesus but two lesser fragments of the Black

300_24209000_PrnceOUndth_32.indd 3 8/10/09 4:51 PM You have plied spells of fabulous power and performed rituals of STARTING THE ADVENTURE rare vintage. You’ve seen much of the world, and in that sight, the arcane threads that underlie all existence have begun to become Begin this adventure as either the logical consequence of clear to you. They dance at the corners of your eyes, not quite yet previous play (such as the events that occurred in E2: King- in perfect resolution. To achieve perfect clarity, you need time dom of the Ghouls), or use one of the hooks provided here to in seclusion in a location suited for deep contemplation and the lead the adventurers into the story. (If you prefer, feel free manipulation of arcane energies. to fashion a hook that better suits your campaign.) All the The Forge of Four Worlds is just such a place, a citadel hooks provide the PCs with opportunities to gain addi- worthy of an archmage. Here, magic seethes and the threads of tional experience by completing associated quests. the ultimate arcane formula appear, at long last, within your reach. If you can cleanse the place of demons, devils, undead, Hook: Through the Portal and other servitors of Orcus, it might be ideal for construction of your sanctum sanctorum and the study of the Demispell. If the players successfully completed E2: Kingdom of the Ghouls, their characters likely defeated Doresain and came The Forge of Four Worlds calls to the archmage, and he into custody of Audaviator, the staff of portals. Audaviator or she recognizes it as a place where great magic can be is connected to at least one permanent teleportation circle, worked. Mainly, this hook is intended to get the archmage inscribed on the deck of the chaos ship named Shevaithan. thinking about what’s next after the campaign reaches its Audaviator’s wielder can use the portal to reach the ship. conclusion. See Encounter S1: Boarding the Ship on page 4 of Quest XP: 19,000 (minor quest) if the archmage Adventure Book Two. indicates that he or she intends to return to the Forge of From here, the adventurers are invested in discovering Four Worlds after the adventure’s conclusion to turn it what has become of the primordial Timesus, and will dis- into a sanctum sanctorum. Award the XP before the final cover clues on the ship (and in the Red Hold) that will see encounters with Orcus. them through to the end of the adventure. Quest XP: 11,000 (minor quest) if the adventurers Hook: A Deadly commandeer the chaos ship Shevaithan and gain full control of the vessel. Trickster’s Final Path Offer a deadly trickster character in the party (if any) the Hook: Seclusion of following information at some point during the time the adventurers explore the Red Hold. Customize the text as the Archmage necessary to match the deadly trickster’s specific situation. Provide an archmage character in the party (if any) with The universe is your playground, and you’re enjoying nearly the following information at some point during the time every moment of your exhilarating journey through it. You’re the adventurers travel through the Forge of Four Worlds.Sample file arsenal of tricks and deceits has grown as your power blossomed. Customize the text as necessary to match the archmage’s Your ability to scandalize, charm, upset, reward, and confound specific situation. those around you makes your friends wary of you—they never really know when you will carry an enthusiasm too far, or if your DESTINY’S CONCLUSION loyalties might shift with the next strong breeze. Upon finding yourself walking the halls of the Red Hold, As the player characters move toward 30th level, they the citadel of Orcus, Demon Prince of the Undead, a strange come closer and more into alignment with their epic thought tugs at you. What if, against all expectations, you destinies. This could include foreshadowing dreams or threw your aid to Orcus at the last moment? What if you were visions. Adventurers might see a great foundry built on a the factor that actually boosts Orcus to godhood? What would remote island around which a ferocious conflict between be your reward? But, you also wonder, what would such an act demons and devils rages. They might have a vision of a mean to your ultimate destiny? citadel straddling a yawning chasm with sheer slopes that hold hundreds of tombs and burial sites, creating a tiered If the foregoing is too leading for your campaign, you can necropolis. When they reach the Abyssal Nadir, an image summarize it with some subtle hint to the player con- of Orcus triumphantly rising above the spires of the Raven trolling the deadly trickster, explaining that the thought Queen’s palace might haunt their waking moments. does suddenly enter his or her mind. This hook provides Feel free to sprinkle such visions and dreams into the the deadly trickster one basis for how he or she will be adventure to add to the growing sense of destiny finally remembered after the campaign’s conclusion. coming home to greet the epic adventurers. Quest XP: 13,000 (minor quest) if the deadly trickster shrugs off the temptation to aid the Demon Prince before the final encounters with Orcus.

300_24209000_PrnceOUndth_32.indd 4 8/10/09 4:51 PM Hook: A Demigod’s The eternal seeker has seen a vision of what might become his or her final destination, and can choose to embrace it, Apotheosis or work fervently to avoid it. Offer a demigod character in the party (if any) the follow- Quest XP: 13,000 (minor quest) if the eternal seeker ing information after the adventurers realize they must go follow the visions and successfully plumbs the very depths to the Raven Queen’s realm of Latherna. Customize the of the Abyss. Award the XP before the final encounters text as necessary to the demigod’s specific situation. with Orcus. A strange daydream suddenly takes hold of you. In it, you fall backward in time. Your journey is brief, for you already know its Hook: Rise of Orcus endpoint—you visit yourself, back before you decided to reach for If your players haven’t adventured through E2: Kingdom of divinity. You advise your past self to petition the Raven Queen to the Ghouls or earlier adventures leading up to this adven- relinquish her claim on your soul, that it might one day ascend to ture, use this hook to bring them quickly up to speed. godhood. The epic adventurers have come to the attention of STARTING THE ADVENTURE THE ADVENTURE STARTING You blink away the strange vision, and realize that the Raven the pantheon of gods that inhabit your campaign. The Queen has been your bridge to true godhood all along. If she is in gods have recently learned of a secret plot by Orcus to direct peril, as seems increasingly likely, what of your own plans claim the domain of Death for himself. As is their wont, for divine ascension? It is in your hands to save her, or allow her the gods seek powerful mortal agents in the world to set to fall before a terrible usurper. things right. In a flash of golden light, a marut concordant (see The player should recognize that his or her character can Monster Manual, page 185) appears before the party. In either salvage the divine status quo by rescuing the Raven Supernal (a language that all characters hear in their Queen, or by inaction or even failure, change the equation native tongue), the marut says: of divine power forever. The adventurer’s success or failure determines which divine realm awaits the character at the “Your exploits have marked you as the Heroes of your Age. If you campaign’s conclusion. would ensure your names shall live forever, mark well the task the Quest XP: 15,000 (minor quest) if the demigod makes gods ask of you. Orcus, Demon Prince of Undeath, has set free a a vow to aid the Raven Queen in her hour of need. Award primordial of dissolution from the Dawn War. Called Timesus the XP before the final encounters with Orcus. the Black Star, this primordial commands unparalleled power— power that Orcus claims as his own. Somehow, Orcus seeks to Hook: The Eternal use Timesus to strip Death of her divine mantle. This cannot be allowed. If you would see Orcus’s plans overturned, journey now Seeker’s Path to the chaos ship Shevaithan, which ferries residual chunks of the Provide an eternal seeker character in the party (if any) Black Star deeper into the Abyss where the Demon Prince waits. the following information when the adventurers firstSample gain Time file is of the essence. I leave you with a portal to the chaos ship control of Shevaithan, before they begin their descent into Shevaithan. Take the ship as your own, and follow Orcus to the the Abyss. Customize the text as necessary to match the nadir of existence.” eternal seeker’s specific situation. The concordant gives the adventurers a bone scroll case. Your path is not set, and even Fate herself cannot bind your des- Inside is a ritual scroll of Planar Portal keyed to carry the tiny to her tapestry. But your journeys have empowered your party to the teleportation circle on the chaos ship Shevai- ever-growing supernatural awareness of events occurring in the than (see “Chaos Ship Overview” on page 6). The marut greater multiverse. departs as it came. A warning dream breaks upon your mind. In it, you gaze into Quest XP: 11,000 (minor quest) if the adventurers a void that extends forever, swirling ever downward. You see accept the mission and capture the chaos ship Shevaithan. souls falling into the cavity, endless in number. Some, the yawning chasm swallows. But most do not even reach the void, for in that space above the infinite fall, demons hunt. They flit across CUSTOMIZING the void on scaled wings, spearing glowing life force out of the air EPICÊDESTINYÊHOOKS with claws, spiked tails, or weapons too horrible to comprehend. If your players have chosen epic destinies other than those Some of the falling souls you recognize as your companions, described here, use these as examples to create epic des- others as acquaintances, and even members of your own family. tiny minor quests for those characters. This way, none of Sweat soaked, you emerge from the vision after finally your players or their characters are left out of the epic glimpsing the vortex’s bottom, where a blood red light beats a wrap-up to your campaign. relentless cadence of evil. You know these visions spell out your future, or your doom.

300_24209000_PrnceOUndth_32.indd 5 8/10/09 4:51 PM CHAOS SHIP OVERVIEW Arriving on the Ship When the adventurers first arrive on the chaos ship, they likely appear in the central inscribed magic circle on deck Whether through a portal opened by Audaviator, a scroll of closest to the sterncastle. If the adventurers do not arrive Planar Portal provided by a godly messenger, or through on Shevaithan by way of a portal, they can alight on the some other agency, the adventurers find the chaos ship craft wherever they choose. Shevaithan moored to a docking mote within the swirl- See Encounter S1: Boarding the Ship on page 4 of ing vortex of the Abyss. Even if not arriving by portal, it is Adventure Book Two. important that the adventurers begin play in this adventure as they arrive or approach the deck of the chaos ship. Second Wave If the adventurers overcome the initial resistance they encounter when they arrive on the ship, they have a CHAOS SHIP DETAILS chance to take a short rest or two. Either after their short The upper deck of Shevaithan is 130 feet from stem to rest or when the adventurers open any of the floor hatches stern. It is constructed of shiny black wood and iron spars. that lead down into the holds, a second wave of demonic A 5-foot-high railing surrounds the upper deck. The railing and undead crew members pour forth to attack. holds stanchions every 5 feet, through which hawsers can be See Encounter S2: Ship Second Wave on page 6 of tied to secure crew or cargo during elemental storms. Adventure Book Two. The cargo hold is accessible through two hatches on the main deck in front of the sterncastle. A smaller aft hold is Chaos Ship Shevaithan accessible through a single hatch at the craft’s stern. Colossal vehicle Three crystal anarch spheres are inset in the deck. HP 2,000 Space 27 squares by 16 squares Cost n/a AC 3; Fortitude 20, Refl ex 2 Four permanent magic circles adorn the deck. Speed 0, fl y 12 (hover), overland fl ight 15 Illumination: Bright light. The swirling anarch spheres Pilot inset in the deck bath the ship in alternating fiery red, elec- The pilot must stand at the wheel, which sits atop the sterncastle tric blue, and other energetic colors as they radiate through deck. The wheel is mounted on a gimbaled lever that controls the spectrum in their cradles. pitch and altitude. Cables running beneath the deck connect to Sterncastle: This two-story structure occupies much of the three anarch sphere cradles. These anarch spheres provide motive ship’s stern. One set of stairs provides access to the first level, power and lift. The ship will hover without a pilot or crew, but forward motion requires both. and a second set of stairs to the second level. The top level of Crew the sterncastle contains the wheel that steers the craft. In addition to the pilot, Shevaithan requires a crew of three for any Sterncastle Cabins: Four doors on the sterncastle each movement other than hovering. Each must be stationed adjacent lead to interior chambers. Sample fileto one of the three inset anarch spheres. Each of the crew must The lower port cabin contains a variety of supplies, spend a standard action each round to help control the vessel including hundreds of feet of silk rope, barrels of water, once it is under way. Reduce Shevaithan’s fl y speed by 4 for each crates filled with jerky, and other similar essentials. missing crew member. If the ship reaches fl y speed 0 on any given round after it is under way, Shevaithan is unable to be steered and The lower starboard cabin contains stores amenable for fl ies out of control. Once out of control, regaining control requires repairs, including nails, hammers, saws, tackle, and even a 3 consecutive rounds with the pilot and three crew members work table for crafting and making repairs. manning their stations. The upper two sterncastle doors open into two cham- Load bers of equal size. Both contain rotting carrion for demons 200 Medium creatures; 4,000 tons of cargo. to nest in. Out of Control Holds: The forward two thirds of the ship’s underdeck When out of control, Shevaithan moves forward at half speed. Each round, roll 1d20. On a roll of 1–5, it descends. It descends area can hold a significant amount of cargo, but is cur- 5 squares per round for the fi rst 10 rounds it’s out of control. rently nearly empty. A few lone crates contain inanimate After 10 rounds, it descends 10 squares per round. If Shevai- black stone—part of Timesus the primordial. The stern hold than hits a solid mote in the Elemental Chaos or the Abyss after serves as a vast bunk area for demons and undead. traveling out of control for more than 20 rounds, the chaos ship is Anarch Spheres: These crystal spheres sit in cradles. destroyed. Each contains the bottled essence of chaos, and provides Chaos Attunement the ship’s motive power. The Shevaithan functions only in the Elemental Chaos and the Abyss. Magic Circles: Each of these inscribed circles provides Wheel and Three Anarch Spheres (Navigation Focus) teleportation access to a different, distant location, depend- This vehicle is equipped with three anarch spheres, which serve ing on Shevaithan’s current position and the rituals used to as the navigation focus for the wheel mounted on top of the create the circles. sterncastle deck.

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